Choose Christ, and be glad.

Psalm 16:1-11 'Thou wilt show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore' (11). In this earthly life, there are many difficulties. For all of God's people, there is something better still to come. We must look not only at the things which …

There is no god who can compare with the Lord.

2 Kings 16:1-17:41; Acts 26:24-27:12; Psalm 81:8-16 “They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless” (2 Kings 17:15). There is no god who can compare with the Lord (Psalm 81:9-10). He alone is worthy of praise. He alone gives value to our lives by bringing fulfilment to them: “Open wide your mouth and I will …

There’s something more than human love.

"Your Word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path" (Psalm 119:105). Without the Word of the Lord, we stumble along in the darkness. We stumble, and we fall. When we stop listening to what the Word of God says to us, the darker things become. It's not easy to keep on …

A New Song

"Sing a new song to the Lord" (Psalm 98:1). What is a new song? It's a song that wasn't there, until the Lord put it into our hearts. It's a song that's come to us from the Lord. We give back to Him what He has given to us. 

What no-one else could ever do for us, God has done for us.

"No one can ever buy back another person or pay God a ransom for his life" (Psalm 49:7). What no-one else could ever do for us, God has done for us -  "... the  Son of Man came ... to give His life as a ransom for many people” (Mark 10:45). "God forbid that I should …

Building on the Rock

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in him" …

Plenty of reasons for rejoicing in the Lord

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice ... Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name" (Psalm 97:1,12). Psalm 97 begins and ends with joy - rejoicing in the Lord. True joy comes to us from the Lord. We think of who God is - the King of love. We …

Fulfil your vows.

"Fulfil your vows" (Nahum 1:15).  * Faith We're going to think together about our Church membership vows. These vows can be summarized in five words: Faith, Worship, Devotions, Giving, Witness. The first vow is the foundation upon which the others are built. The other four vows are the practical implications of the first vow: our …

Fulfil your vows – in the strength of the Lord.

Nahum 1:1-3:19; Ephesians 6:1-24; Psalm 114:1-8 “Fulfil your vows” (Nahum 1:15). “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). In all the vows we have promised to keep, we must remember the strength of the Lord: “Be strong in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:10). …

We feel the pull of the world. We must not take our eyes off Jesus.

Psalms 119:1-24  -  The way of blessing is the way of obedience (1,9,11,17). Many will choose the way of disobedience - ‘influential people sit together and slander me’. We must choose the way of obedience - ‘Your servant will meditate on Your teachings’ (23). Following Jesus Christ will not be easy. We see many people …

God’s love is stronger than our fear.

"The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1). Where does fear come from? It comes from Satan. He's the prince of darkness. He's the father of lies. How do we overcome fear? We stop listening to Satan, and we start listening …

Let us thank God for his great love. Let us praise him for his great faithfulness.

"I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations" (Psalm 89:1). "Through all generations": The world has changed so much since the time when the Psalms were written. The psalms are, still, inspiring us to worship the Lord. "Forever": For all eternity, the people of …

Preaching God’s Word – our joyful privilege and our solemn responsibility

Jeremiah 51:15-64; 2 Timothy 4:1-22; Psalm 119:97-104 The Word of God is to be preached, even if it is a difficult message. In face of the judgment pronounced upon Babylon, God says to His messengers, “When you get to Babylon, see that you read all these words aloud” (Jeremiah 51:61). Paul calls on Timothy to “preach the …

Psalms

PSALMS 1:1-6  -  As well as journeying through the Old and New Testaments, we will read a Psalm at fairly regular intervals. The first Psalm contrasts two ways - the way of the Word and the way of the world, the way of blessing and the way of judgment. Encouraging us to build upon the …

‘I Was Glad When They Said To Me, “Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord.”’

Psalms 120:1-121:8 ‘Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips’(120:2). God calls us to ‘believe the truth’, ‘love the truth’ and ‘follow the truth’. We are to be people who ‘do what is true’(2 Thessalonians 2:10-11; 3 John 3-4; John 3:21). How can we be such people? We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He …

Is God still out there? What about taking a look at Jesus Christ?

What about God? Have you forgotten about Him? Is He still out there? or Has He disappeared? Plenty of people tell you that you're wasting your time even thinking about God. They tell you that you're a fool if you believe in God. Did you know that the Bible says the exact opposite: "The fool …

God’s Word is always relevant.

Jeremiah 50:11-51:14; 2 Timothy 3:1-17; Psalm 119:89-96 This part of Jeremiah’s prophecy is concerned with God’s judgment upon Babylon. God sets Himself against those who set themselves against Him. We live in times when “evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). In such times, we …

Christ died for us. Let us live for Him.

Thursday in Holy Week: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17 Christ died for us. Let us live for Him. Here, we focus attention on two verses which emphasize the importance of being saved by the Lord and going on to live for Him: ‘when I see the blood, I will pass …

Sin and sadness shall not prevail over us.

"You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God; I will extol you. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 118:28-29). The Psalmist gives his testimony, and he calls on us to join him in giving thanks to the Lord. "The …

Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God – our Saviour

Genesis 21:1-23:20; Matthew 8:23-9:13; Psalm 7:10-17 As we read of the testing of Abraham in regard to God's call for Isaac to be sacrificed, we have a hint of God's provision of Jesus Christ as the Saviour who was sacrificed for the sins of the world. By faith, Abraham says, "God himself will provide the …

"Who can speak about all the mighty things the Lord has done? Who can announce all the things for which He is worthy of praise?" (Psalm 106:2).

There is always more to be said about the Lord than we can ever say. When we have said all that we can say, we have not said enough. The Lord is always greater than all our words about Him. How great is our God! How great is His mighty work of salvation! Praise be …

Genesis 1

"Genesis 1" has become a battlefield. People argue about creation and evolution. A battllefield: Is this all that we have in Genesis 1? When we read our Bibles, do we leave Genesis 1 to "the experts" - the people who know what they're talking about? This raises some questions. Who, exactly are the "experts"? What …

We love, the place, O God.

"Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells" (Psalm 26:8). "We love the place, O God" - listen, sing, and be blessed by the Lord. There is no singing in this video - just music and words on the screen. https://youtu.be/rOUhnA9mJ-Q

How great Thou art

"You are radiant with light, more majestic than mountains ... " (Psalm 76:4). "I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:2). It's possible to look up to the mountains - and see nothing but mountains. The …

When everything seems so dark

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley,  I will fear no evil" (Psalm 23:4). Darkness threatens to overcome the light - but it cannot be done. Our Lord Jesus Christ has risen from the dead - and we will rise with him to everlasting life. If you feel like you're travelling through a dark valley, here's …

Sing To The Lord.

May God help each of us to “sing to the Lord.” May we “sing praise to Him.” May we “glory in His holy Name.” May we “rejoice” in Him. May we come to Him in our weakness and find our new “strength” in Him (Psalm 105:2-4).  

May God help us to be faithful and fearless preachers of His Word.

Jeremiah 46:1-47:7; 1 Timothy 6:3-21; Psalm 119:73-80 The judgment of God is upon those who set themselves against Him. This is the message which emerges from Jeremiah’s preaching regarding Egypt. The Lord sets Himself against those who teach false doctrine which “does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to …

Exodus 25:1-26:37; Mark 4:30-5:20; Psalm 23:1-6

The Lord’s people were in the wilderness. Nevertheless, the Lord’s presence, symbolized by the tabernacle, was with them (Exodus 25-26). Jesus’ disciples were caught in the storm. Nevertheless, the Lord was with them, and He brought peace (Mark 4:35-41). The greatest wilderness, the greatest storm is death itself. Through faith, we can say, “Even though …

"God is truly good to Israel, to those whose lives are pure" (Psalm 73:1).

* God is truly good. He's not a mixture of good and evil.    * God is truly good to those whose lives are pure.   When we're living for ourselves, we'll never appreciate the goodness of God. We'll look at our life through human eyes. Rather than thanking God for His blessings, we take pride …

God’s purpose is moving forward.

1 Kings 1:1-2:12; Acts 10:23b-11:18; Psalm 74:10-17 God’s purpose does not stand still. It moves forward. “So Solomon sat on the throne of his father, David, and his rule was firmly established” (1 Kings 2:12). “The circumcised believers … were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the …

Christ is calling us to walk with Him – in His victory.

Ezekiel 24:1-25:17; Hebrews 11:17-40; Psalm 124:1-8 There is, in these passages, the continuing conflict between the life of obedient faith (Hebrews 11) and the life of disobedience (God’s judgments in Ezekiel). The Psalmist makes it clear that the life of obedient faith is not an easy life - “If the Lord had not been on …

In dependence on divine grace

1 Kings 11:14-12:24; Acts 15:22-41; Psalm 77:10-20 "They obeyed the Word of the Lord" (1 Kings 12:24). They were "commended ... to the grace of the Lord" (Acts 15:40). Obedience to the Word of the Lord and being commended to the grace of God  - these two things belong together. We can only promise obedience …

Let us keep on choosing God’s way, not the world’s way.

Jeremiah 46:1-47:7; 1 Timothy 6:3-21; Psalm 119:73-80 The judgment of God is upon those who set themselves against Him. This is the message which emerges from Jeremiah’s preaching regarding Egypt. The Lord sets Himself against those who teach false doctrine which “does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to …

Holiness and love

Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany – Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18; Psalm 119:33-40; 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23; Matthew 5:38-48 Holiness and love Holiness and love - the two belong together (Leviticus 19:1, 18, 34). God calls us to live a life of holiness, a life of love. Through His Spirit - the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of …

Let us praise the Lord with great joy.

"Sing, Daughter Zion; shout aloud, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, ‘Do not fear, Zion; do …

Trust and obey.

"Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved" (Psalm 80:3). The light of the Lord has shone upon us. We see ourselves in a new light - his light. It's the light of his love. He came to us in our darkness, and he led us into his light. We …

When Christ is preached, the Lord opens the hearts of men and women to respond to Him.

1 Kings 12:25-14:20; Acts 16:1-15; Psalm 78:1-8 "The Lord will raise up for Himself a king over Israel" (1 Kings 14:14). There was much "sin" among God's people (1 Kings 13:33-34). God did not abandon His purpose of salvation. His saving purpose finds its fulfilment in Christ. He is the Gospel ("Good News") which God has …

To God be the glory!

"I lift up my eyes to you, to you who sit enthroned in heaven. 2  ... our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he shows us his mercy. 3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us ... " (Psalm 123:1-3). We lift up our eyes to the hills - and we look beyond the hills to …

How does God answer our most important question – the question of salvation?

Psalm 49:1-20 How can I be saved? How does God answer our most important question, the question of salvation? He speaks to us about (a) our need of salvation; (b) His provision of salvation; (c) receiving salvation. (a) Our need of salvation: We cannot save ourselves. ‘No man can ransom himself, or give to God …

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever.

The more I think about our eternal salvation, the more my heart rises to the Lord in joyful songs of praise. Let the words  of Psalm 89:1 fill your heart with joyful praise to the Lord. https://youtu.be/7-q6z5fpgNk

‘My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.’

Psalm 42:1-11 As we read God's Word day-by-day, we are to pray for an increase of our desire for God: 'My soul thirsts for God, for the living God' (Psalm 42:2). This is the spiritual experience, referred to in Psalm 42:7 - 'Deep calls to deep'. This is what Paul speaks of in 1 Corinthians …

May our words point to Jesus Christ, the living Word of God.

Ninth Sunday (or Last Sunday) after the Epiphany (Transfiguration of the Lord) – Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2 (or Psalm 99, suggested as an alternative for Ninth Sunday); 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9 May our words point to Jesus Christ, the living Word of God. Moses was alone with the Lord - receiving the Word of …

Our God is greater than our problems.

Jeremiah 38:1-40:6; 1 Timothy 3:1-16; Psalm 119:57-64 The difficulties faced by Jeremiah were great - “bound in chains” (Jeremiah 40:1). They were not insurmountable - “the commander ... let him go” (Jeremiah 40:5). The Psalmist says, “Though the wicked bind me with ropes, I will not forget Your law” (Psalm 119:61). Whatever difficulties we may …

Led in the way of victory

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28; Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b or 1 Kings 19:9-18; Psalm 85:8-13; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33 Strengthened by the Lord, we are led in the way of victory. In the story of Joseph, we see human sin and divine grace. We see jealousy (Genesis 37:11) and its effects: ‘where jealousy …

Prayer, prophecy and praise

2 Chronicles 13:1-15:19; 1 Corinthians 14:1-40; Psalm 101:1-18 Prayer, prophecy and praise - these are three essential ingredients of worship. Prayer - “They sought God eagerly and He was found by them” (2 Chronicles 15:15). Prophecy - “Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:39). Praise - “To You, O Lord, I will …

An oasis in the desert

"You prepare a table before me" (Psalm 23:5). The Lord invites us to his table. This is wonderful - but it's followed by something that's not so wonderful: we are surrounded by "enemies." (Psalm 23:5). We cannot get away from this - but we can come to the Lord's Table: it's his oasis in our …

Trust in the Lord. He is working in us to do us good.

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 29:15-28; Psalm 105:1-11, 45b (or Psalm 128) or 1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119:129-136; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Trust in the Lord. He is working in us to do us good. The tables are turned on Jacob. The trickster is tricked! The ‘trick’ was according to the ‘custom’ that the …

Be still

"Their strength is to sit still" (Isaiah 30:7). When I read these words, my thoughts turned to two other verses of Scripture: "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10); "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" (Exodus 14:13). How wonderful it is to know that God is God - and …

When things are difficult, keep on praying.

Jeremiah 35:1-37:21; 1 Timothy 2:1-15; Psalm 119:49-56 Life was not easy for the prophet Jeremiah. The king and his attendants did not pay “any attention to the words the Lord had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet” (Jeremiah 37:1-2). We must pray for “kings and all those in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). They have so much …

Majesty, worship His majesty

"Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:1). Here's a great hymn of praise - "Majesty, worship his majesty." Listen, sing - and may your heart may be moved to worship the Lord. https://youtu.be/jWSy18_Jv7Y

Jesus – my Forever Friend

"You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). I was about to set out on a life of ministry. It was a "path of life" that had been chosen for me by God. At the beginning of this life of ministry, I received a …

God and the gods

1 Kings 18:16-19:21; Acts 17:22-18:8; Psalm 78:17-31 In the relationship between God and the gods, we see (a) the conflict between good and evil (1 Kings 18); (b) God's way of salvation - He leads people out of the darkness of ignorance and into the light of knowledge (Acts 17:23); (c) God's word of warning …

The battle is not yours, but God’s.

2 Chronicles 18:28-21:3; 1 Corinthians 15:35-49; Psalm 102:12-17 Those who were armed for battle received this message from the Lord: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 21:15). Now, we fight many battles. There will come a Day when these battles …

From the rising of the sun

"The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy" (Psalm 65:8). The sun rises. The sun sets. We catch a glimpse of the glory of God. "From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised" …

I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus, the Nazarene.

"Come and see what God has done, his awesome deeds for mankind!" (Psalm 66:5). Where will we see what the Lord has done for us? Let us come to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. There, we will see what a great love our Saviour has for us! Here's a link to the great hymn …

This is what the Lord says.

1 Kings 20:1-21:29; Acts 18:9-19:13; Psalm 78:32-39 As a prophet of God, Elijah brought this message to the people: "This is what the Lord says" (1 Kings 21:19). This was Paul's ministry: "teaching them the Word of God" (Acts 18:11). Elijah's ministry was the denunciation of the evil king, Ahab. Paul's ministry was the proclamation …

God has spoken to us. Let us speak to him, and let us speak for him.

"The Sovereign Lord has spoken: so who can refuse to proclaim his message?" (Amos 3:8). As I was reading these words from Amos, I recalled the words of Paul, "I believed in God, so I spoke" (2 Corinthians 4:13). We receive the Word of the Lord with faith. We are not to keep the Word of the …

The real work is done by the Lord.

1 Chronicles 24:1-26:19; 1 Corinthians 3:1-23; Psalm 92:1-15 Every believer has a part in the work of God. This comes through in the lists of names in 1 Chronicles 24-26. This is also taught in 1 Corinthians 3:6 which goes on to emphasize that the real work is not done by men but by the …

Praise, Preaching and Prayer

1 Chronicles 22:2-23:32; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16; Psalm 91:9-16 The Temple was to be “built for the Name of the Lord”, “to praise the Lord” (1 Chronicles 22:19; 23:5). In the context of such worship - “thanking and praising the Lord” (1 Chronicles 23:30), the Word of God would be spoken “not in words taught by …

Sin, salvation and service

Jeremiah 7:30-9:16; Colossians 1:1-23; Psalm 116:12-19 There is a great contrast between sin - “Do not trust your brothers. For every brother is a deceiver... and no-one speaks the truth” (Jeremiah 9:4-5) - and salvation - “the holy and faithful brothers in Christ... the Word of truth, the Gospel... has come to you” (Colossians 1:2,5-6). …